coastcat

2 hours ago, trbarton said:

I’m on my first cruise  with NCL booking an Studio stateroom on the NCL Breakaway. I done a lot of research so I’m aware of what the stateroom looks like. I’m getting a studio on Deck 10 that will be right next to the lounge. Guess I won’t have to go very far to find other solo cruiser's. Looking at videos it seems like there is a staff person just for people in the Studio Stateroom. 
 

I have some questions for anyone that has been in a Studio stateroom. 
 

What was your experience with the Studio stateroom & what did you think?

 

I’ve looked a several videos & didn’t see where you put your suitcase. Will it fit underneath the bed?
 

What was the Studio lounge like? Was there a meeting time each day?

 

Were their options to eat dinner with other people & when was the bar opened?

 

Most of the videos I have seen of the lounge it was empty so I wonder if anyone ever comes there. 
 

Thanks for your comments. 
 

Does NCL give any OBC for being a veteran?
 

Tom😀

It's a long-ish thread, but check out this discussion over in the Solo Cruisers forum:

I've only been in the Bliss and Encore version of the Studio area; the cabins are slightly different and the lounges are significantly different than found on the older ships. Here's a good tour of the Breakaway version:

The cabins are small but designed to feel more airy and spacious. It's plenty of room for one person. Nevertheless, you'll appreciate having access to the Studio Lounge (and the rest of the ship, really) for chilling out. Storage is a bit limited and you won't have any drawers.

Yes, unless you're bringing a massive suitcase, it'll fit fine under the bed. My 28" rolling duffel fit there easily.

You'll have a dedicated solo host who will arrange a group MDR dinner every night. Something which annoyed me about Princess was that their daily solo gathering took place after dinner, not before!

On Bliss and Encore, the lounge was used mainly for the daily solo meeting and as a place to grab snacks & coffee. It was pretty quiet otherwise. YMMV.

54 minutes ago, Named-Tawny said:

Hey folks!

So I'm now 119 days from my cruise (Greenland and Iceland out of Reykjavik!) and starting to get things ready.  I saw that they aren't doing dinner reservations yet which, weird but hopefully soon.

But what really threw me was that when I try to do online check-in, it tells me that it's only available 21 days pre-cruise or less.  Does anybody know when that changed - and more importantly, why?

It seems really unusual. 

Part of the online check-in process is reviewing and accepting the current health requirements and onboard protocols. These days it seems sensible to wait until three weeks prior to sail date since they keep evolving, and I am assuming that's NCL reasoning for the 21-day check in period.

1 hour ago, Mammafontz said:

We're sailing on the Celebrity Solstice in August.   It says we stop at Ketchikan, Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier, Juneau, Skagway and Victoria, BC.  If anyone is familiar with these locations, do we actually get off the boat at Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier?   We're confused on that.

Endicott/Dawes is a scenic cruising day with no stops. Find a comfortable spot and watch the gorgeous scenery go by!

14 minutes ago, titanguru said:

Thanks for the quick responses.  Very confusing.  Also in the bottom in the area for Terms and conditions it says "Two additional points per night on cruises through March 2022".  It does not say that I had to book the cruise in March.  So far NCL says I booked outside the promotion period.  What Am I missing?  The following is NCL response se far.

 

 

I understand what you are saying, but your reservation had to booked between:  August 1^st and September 30, 2021, to qualify for the double points. 

 

 

When we extended our promotion, it applied to all cruises starting April 1^st and beyond and opened: December 10, 2021-February 28, 2022. 

 

 

Again, I apologize for the inconvenience.

 

You booked February 28. 2022, which does not fall within any of the dates mentioned above.

 

 

You booked too late for the first promo period (since you booked after that ended on September 30), and your cruise sailed too early for the second promo period (eligible cruises embark on April 1 or later and yours embarked on March 13). Unfortunately the promo periods and your timing just didn't mesh.

FWIW, most (not all, but most) of this year's Alaska sailings have the point bonus. Early season cruises mean reduced prices and dry weather! I'm headed back to Alaska at the end of April to grab those points and go Platinum.

20 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

It is still “in person” from the respect that you need to report to your muster station and listen to whatever brief they decide to do. You’ll be with others. They normally direct you to your muster station as you board. Get it done with. 

Have you had to listen to any brief since the restart? I've done six muster drills since August and IIRC each time it's been just a beep of the card/Medallion and "thank you, have a nice day!"

It's lovely. 

25 minutes ago, titanguru said:

Hello NCL cruisers.  Took a cruise March 13, 2022 on the Bliss to the Mexican Rivera.  I was going to post a summary of our trip and answer any questions but currently butting head with NCL.  I received an email on February 27, 2022 (see attached) saying I should hurry and book a March 2022 cruise and get two additional latitude points per night.  This is important to me because it would've got me to platinum.  We just retired and were looking forward to being able to take long cruises we were not able to take while we were living the rat race and bringing family and grandkids on trips with us.  NCL says that this promo was if I booked in March.  I checked all the terms and conditions and nothing concerning this date.  See the attached email and tell me if this does not say hurry and book today or you would loose this opportunity.  What do you think?   

Gmail - HURRY — Your February Latitudes Rewards Are Ending.pdf 2.48 MB · 5 downloads

To get those extra point deals, like with any cruise line's special offer, you must:

1. Book an eligible cruise

2. Book that cruise when the offer is active

It doesn't matter when the cruise itself takes place. Just because you sailed in March doesn't mean you'll get the extra points per night. Even if the cruise were one of the ones eligible for the offer, you'd only get the points if you booked when the offer was active or updated your booking after the offer went live.

Look at your booking confirmation. If one of the promo codes in the upper right corner is LATDBLX, then you booked when the offer was valid and you get the extra 2 points/night. If you don't have that code, you won't get the points. It's not automatically retroactive; if you booked in October (for example) and your booked cruise became eligible for this extra points offer in November, the promo would not automatically be added to your booking.

23 hours ago, disneylover89 said:

Does anyone know what are the times that you cruise through Glacier Bay?  I made a 6:00pm dinner reservation for the night we cruise through Glacier Bay and I am now concerned me may miss something.

Per the schedule posted by the Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska, most ships exit Glacier Bay by 5pm:

CLAA 2022 schedule for Glacier Bay

You wouldn't miss any of the park sights by having dinner at 6. While you could postpone dinner until it's too dark to see, that'll be a late dinner - in June, sunset is 10pm!

19 hours ago, Jim The Lizard said:

 

I called Atlantis directly and spoke with a representative named Jonathan.  He told me that Prima is being booked March 5, but that it has not been announced yet due to the fact they sometimes sell out cruises within hours of announcement. He told me they do only charter entire ships due to “member lifestyle” and “passenger comfort”.    So, we wait to see if Jonathan is accurate and knowledgeable, or he’s only giving me a “possible” result.  

I let my TA know since she was selling this sailing as a group cruise. Guess we'll be shifting weeks too! I'm tempted to cancel altogether and book a different ship, but only because I have an earlier Prima cruise (the September 2022 transatlantic) and don't really need to pay the higher "shiny new ship" price a second time. 

7 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Just a data point.  I was able to upgrade an October 2021 cruise twice.  Once, 24 days prior to sail date and again 21 days prior to sail date.

Same here. I went from a Studio to balcony to club balcony.

I've bid on an upgrade for my next cruise, which was unexpected because IIRC NCL doesn't do Upgrade Advantage on Studio cabins. But they offered this time! A BF is now priced below what I paid for the Studio so that's a no-go for a direct payment upgrade, and moving to a BB would cost the same as a bid. If my obsessive monitoring of pricing continues, hopefully I can cancel the bid and pick a cabin. The thought of getting stuck all the way forward on an Alaska cruise out of Seattle... ain't enough Bonine in the world to get me through that first night.

18 minutes ago, crusinthrough said:

Great price! I had a 7N Single Veranda on Apex in Dec but it was a bit more.  You holiday sailing is a better deal.  

Too bad airfare is about the same cost. 😳   Oh well, at least that's one part of travel where solos don't get soaked on pricing!

5 1/2 weeks until NCL Bliss and another solo outing to Alaska, so looking forward to it...

7 hours ago, TheycallmeDrew said:

I am really enjoy following your trip. I am going on my first solo cruise in April(couldn't convince wife to travel yet) and have been kind of nervous about it. Your trip has been very helpful in that regard. Really dislike eating alone and I am hoping to meet up with other solo travellers and maybe do some group dinners. Either that or have some group adopt me for the week lol!

On every NCL sailing there is a designated solo host who arranges nightly group dinners and entertainment outings. Check the daily sheet for time & location of each day’s meeting. This is not limited to ships with a Studio area! When I was on Joy in January 2020, solo gatherings were in Malting’s. 

4 hours ago, happy cruzer said:

Did we ever determine if the bed in balcony cabins is located near the balcony doors, or the bathroom, or alternating?   I can not keep up 🙂

It's in the closet now. That gives the cabin a clean minimalist-modern look.

On 3/20/2022 at 4:42 PM, crusinthrough said:

Anyone sailing Celebrity 2022, check your prices.  There is a single rate pricing this weekend with the new sale and the Elevate package upgrade is not much more than Always package. 

 

Also a good time to try Celebrity.  There are single balcony cabins on the Apex, Edge and Beyond, which are bigger than NCL studio rooms.  

Thanks for the heads up! I'd already asked my TA to reprice my Apex holiday cruise during the previous sale, and the new rate is even lower. Single Infinite Veranda on Apex to the Western Caribbean, 7 days, $1718 plus tax/port fees. And that is a HOLIDAY cruise, leaving December 23. Nice... The itinerary remains unexciting but I'm there for the ship. 🙂

1 hour ago, ceilidh1 said:

I am taking a leaf out of your book and going with a club balcony rather than Haven for my sailing on Bliss next month (Haven pricing is extortionate right now). I've been reading the "amenities" list for club balcony and it mentions snacks delivered to the room. Any info on this? Is this similar to Haven where you can ask for M&Ms or gummy bears? And who would you ask? Thanks for any info you might have!

A light snack (such as the one Gary posted) will be delivered twice during a 7-day cruise. It's not worth the upgrade from a regular balcony. Neither is the free bottle of sparkling wine, which is the same horrible stuff you get as a Latitudes member anyway.

The shower, on the other hand... that's nice. Very nice.

I had my own Haven Lite experience on Bliss with Club Balcony + Thermal Suite. No steady supply of snacks but TBH, that's probably for the best...

On 3/10/2022 at 3:03 PM, kasaba said:

I've cruised before, but this will be my first solo venture and my first time on Royal Caribbean (3 night Bahamas). Any suggestions for connecting with other solos? Not looking for a date, just buddies.

Last December I tried RC for the first time. There's nothing structured for solos so you're on your own to meet other folks.

Even short cruises might have roll calls here or That Other Social Media Site. There was a surprising amount of activity for my RC cruises, which were a 3-day and 4-day taken back-to back; I think most of the other participants were also combining two short cruises into a longer one. So check the roll calls!

If you opt for traditional fixed-time dining, ask to be seated at a shared table.

10 hours ago, kasaba said:

I don’t plan to go on the water slides (65 yo solo cruiser) at Coco Cay. Is Perfect Day at Coco Cay still worth it for a person just wanting to hang out on beach?

There are some extra-charge areas/activities but there's no cost for just hanging out at Chill Island, South Beach, or Oasis Lagoon. There are free lockers so solos don't need to fret about leaving their stuff unguarded.

13 minutes ago, Greenpea2 said:

It was recently pointed out to me that the March 5-12, 2023 Prima Caribbean cruise out of Port Canaveral is listed as a charter cruise on a charter cruise website called Atlantis. Which it is, because I checked. Aren't charter cruises usually full ship cruises? I am now very worried (and upset in advance, although doing my best not to be) that we may end up being bumped! Any info on what we might expect would be greatly appreciated...I am going to contact my PCC, who I have worked with for years, but I'm not sure how much she will know about this since it is a year away. 

I just looked at the Atlantis website and don't see that Prima cruise listed.

I'm on the March 5 sailing too, so I'll check with my TA. 

5 hours ago, alliecat1970 said:

10 miles farther than lax airport, Will be able to uber or lift easily from there? Thank you for the help.  Janet

You'll have no problem getting an Uber/Lyft from SNA. While it's a longer (and thus more expensive) trip than from LAX, you won't be dealing with, well, LAX.

SNA is busy (lots of families flying in for Disneyland vacations) but super easy to navigate.

4 hours ago, mlgb said:

Looks like you got that sh^&ty table by the host station.

 

Yeah, but if someone brings me pizza and wine, I don't care too much about where I'm sitting.

13 hours ago, Markj said:

Updated to this post

 

I called NCL about showtimes and they told me that they wouldn't know the days and times until the cruise sets sail and that also Six was showing too - of which there is no notification on the NCL web site!!!!

 

If anyone is on one of the first sailings that Bliss has in Alaska and can tell me days/times of shows then I would be grateful

 

Many thanks

I'm on the second Alaska sailing for the year (April 30). I'll try to remember to report back if no one on the April 23rd sailing does.

Whoa, is this new? IIRC, Studio bookings don’t get the opportunity to bid for an upgrade. I’ve never gotten the chance before. 
 

And yet I just received an Upgrade Advantage email for the April 30 Bliss sailing. Minimum bid is $100 pp (so $200 single occupancy) for an ocean view and $125 pp for balcony ($250). Considering that I can just pay $221 to move into a BB I’ll pass on Upgrade Advantage. 
 

Still, I wonder why Studios on this sailing are eligible for UA?

On 3/13/2022 at 3:25 PM, nesila said:

the bed looks MUCH smaller than the (what I believe was) FULL size (double) on the Epic.... this looks like a single/twin...

I measured the Studio bed on Encore! The mattress itself was 76" x 48", equivalent to a UK/European small double; a US twin mattress is about the same length but only 38" wide. As hallux noted, you lose several inches of mattress under the padded walls.

There’s a small overhead bump out that appears to affect the regular balcony cabins (15782-15790) next to the club balcony section. The view isn’t obstructed but the deeper overhang would make those balconies more shaded. See the 6th photo here: https://cruisedeckplans.com/DP/deckplans/pictures.php?ship=Norwegian-Joy

I was in a port side deck 15 club balcony on Joy. There was some overhead noise (I was right below the children’s Aqua Park) but only occasionally and not all that disturbing. I considered it an acceptable trade-off for being so close to the Observation Lounge. You’re also next to a set of Haven cabins; if you ask nicely, your room steward might switch out your standard toiletries and robe for the Haven version! (that robe was so much nicer…)

1 hour ago, BenCoudon said:

Concerning the Haven restaurant, I had the same thought.  The number of Haven suites have been increased by over 50%.  Although I never had problems to get a table at the Haven Restaurant, with more people in the Haven, it might get crowded.  Obviously, they rely on the outdoor space to avoid the problem.  That could very well solve the problem on cruises with tropical weather.  But for cruises in Northern Europe, including Greenland and Iceland, far to be sure that the outdoor restaurant will be an option.  Many ships have this outdoor dining area.  On Alaska sailings, it was very rare to see people eating outside, even in specialty restaurants.  Even on my last Panama Canal cruise, although it was hot enough to eat outside, the strong winds brought everyone inside.  The outdoor Haven restaurant was only used a few times for breakfast

I wonder if reservations will be required or strongly recommended for the Haven restaurant? It's not a tiny space but it doesn't look large enough (at least not on the deck plans) to accommodate the increased Haven capacity.

Based on NCL's promo videos, the outdoor dining & bar areas are fully covered and are exposed on two sides. Much of the seating looks much further under cover than the outdoor restaurant seating on The Waterfront. Presumably the space has overhead heaters similar to the arrangement for the outdoor buffet seating on BA+ ships. 

Well, we'll see how it works when the first Haven passengers report back. I'm just eager to see what the new Studio area will look like. The artist renderings show a decor that is Observation Lounge-ish. 194 days to go...

1 hour ago, susiesan said:

I will be sailing Dawn this August in the Baltic. I do not have a beverage package. I like to have a cappuccino every morning with my breakfast. Do you pay as you go for specialty coffee or does NCL have a coffee card like on Princess where you pay a flat rate and coffee purchases are punched off the card.

 

It looks like the only place to get specialty coffee on Dawn is Atrium Cafe. What does a cappuccino go for there?

I've never checked the price there, but presumably it's the same price as when you order one in the MDR. In August on Encore, it was $3.95 for a cappuccino or latte.

I really wish NCL would offer a coffee card or otherwise cater to those who want a non-alcohol package beyond soda. It was so nice to order endless cafe lattes and mocktails on Princess and Royal Caribbean.